Long Week's Journey Into the Fall Semester

Ai, ai, ai.

I've been back for two real days and already I'm sick. Just a cold, and controllable with handfuls of pseudephedrine, but still, you'd think my immune system would be up to the task by now. On the gripping hand, it might well have been if I hadn't managed to go a whole week without getting more than 5.5 hours of sleep on any night. But I think it was probably worth it.

Okay, when was the last time I updated this thing? Sunday? Geez, what all has happened since then? Between the cold and the meds and my finally having slept, it's all sort of running together . . .

Okay, nothing earth-shattering happened on Monday except that we all went to six staff development sessions that repeated the same information over and over. (The one exception was the AP's session, which was the same as it is every year, but did tell up things we needed to know, like where everyone's office is this year and what the alpha split is). I am now convinced that the new CP (a) shares a lot of my core values, but (b) is an ESFJ. As we all know, I'm really an I***, but I act like an INT* because that's what dear Daddy taught me to behave like - and N-think is somewhat more natural to me under stress than S-think. Thus, ESF* behavior tends to irritate me, especially when they're being very E. I'm going to have to limit and schedule my interactions with Mrs. G, or I'm going to come across as cold and aloof to her. Maybe I can hide behind RR most of the time. We went out for ice cream with DG later that evening, where he discussed how awful looking for card with his dad is.

Tuesday was a workday. I got my room mostly in order. My desk is a mess again, already. I discovered I really like the new guy who beat me out for Calc BC (who will henceforth be known as DD). He and The Other PB and I are going to make a Hel of an AP math team if we can get our crap together. The poor, overworked tech specialist finally got my passwords reset, and I got to see my class rosters. Both my Stats classes were way too small - only 6 kids each. I took a closer look, and discovered that none of them were H kids. Well, duh - this is our school's gradebook; of course none of their kids will be in it. I sent an e-mail to the harried tech specialist to see if he can get me set up on their gradebook.

Tuesday evening we went to the Weird Al concert. We ran into JT and MW, briefly; they seemed to be willing to speak to us, which is a positive development. I thought I might see one of my kids as well, and I saw someone way up front who might have been him, but I never got a good look. Our seats were way over on the left, but the view of the stage was pretty good. The opening act was a stand-up comic who the Spouse says is also a voice actor for ADV; he pulled out the geek jokes for this crowd, including a Star Wars routine, a philosophy joke, and an engineering joke. He hit more than he missed, and a good time was had. Weird Al's set was short, he only did one encore, and he blew the second verse of "Melanie" completely, but what else there was was very good indeed. I do wish there had been floor space to dance, though.

Wednesday was a work day except for the opening-day procedures faculty meeting. I didn't get much lesson planning done, but Coach D was remarkably pleasant during the team meeting; either he realizes he's in over his head, or he's trying to turn around. Either way, I'm hopeful. There's a new person in the bookroom, and she's been very slow getting stuff out - I didn't get my calculator set until very late in the day, after 3:00. On the bright side, ADHD and his grandmother stopped by to visit; I ran down to his counselor afterwards and made her put him in my advisory period. Hey, if I'm going to be his mom, I might as well do it in an official capacity, ne?

I bussed straight to the Black Swan and had dinner there. A group of yuppies had taken our table in the back, so I went looking for any of our usual crowd, and found K&MG and little S in the dart room. It took forever to get a waiter; while we were waiting for him to come back, DM called me on the cell and asked if I were coming to the Swan tonight. Recognizing the crowd noise in the background, I just said "I'm here." Sure enough, a moment later he came around the corner. A little later, he called AH (or perhaps AH called him; I'm not sure) and he told him he was at the House of Guys; we both laughed at him. A&AH showed up separately. missing each other several times; several friends of theirs I don't know came with them. AH got there rather late, as did PB and a friend of DM's whose name I still haven't caught but who is not a ditz. AH and I talked about the con and his going back to school. I talked him into giving me a ride home; he tried to steal DM's fiddle on the way out, and almost made it.

Thursday the kids came back. Oh, boy. Mrs. G talked over the intercom the whole freaking day. None of my H kids showed up, nor did any of DD's. He Who Ain't Got No Feet complained that his desk hadn't made the move to my new room, and said he'd talk to the correct people to get that done. However, I did get to see the lion's share of my kids again. It's good to have them back. It'll be nice to actually get started again.

Movie Night was chaotic. DG called to let us know he either would be late or wouldn't be there at all; he and his dad had to go look at a car. EW & the Annoying M called to tell us they were sick and wouldn't make it. PB didn't make it and didn't call us to warn us at all. AH was the first one there, and he brought con photos (cosplay! yay!) and a weird parody fandub. DG did finally make it, as did DM with the friend from the Swan in tow (whom he proceeded to give a serious backrub to all through the movie - snark, snark), in time for the movie itself - October Sky. I think everyone liked it, although it was more about the Rocket Boys and less about the teacher for them. (I recited her entire speech under my breath.)

Friday was a replay of Thursday, except I had a severely sore throat. We discovered that H failed to list my class - or me! - at all, and while they'd listed DD's section of Cal BC under WH's name (!!), they hadn't listed and Stats under him (!!!). Their counselors are going to try and filter six to eight students who asked for it into one of my Stats classes, ours will collapse the two into one section with eighteen to twenty students, and then they'll spread out my Precals into the empty section. I'm hoping we actually have enough H students to keep two sections, but it's not that big a deal as long as they don't end up handing me a completely extra class. I bussed to the store, and fell asleep several times on the way there. By the time I got there, I was completely wrecked; we went home and I crashed utterly. I slept for about fifteen hours.

Today I've been running on acetaminophen and pseudephedrine. I'm going to the first half of the Beans show tonight (which DM and/or the Raven may or may not make an appearance at), and then the MIL is going to give me a lift home. Hopefully, I'll be feeling more human tomorrow. The Spouse is going to a Blue Man Group show at the Woodlands, and I'm going to try and get AH or DM or both to come over and watch something with me while he's out.

I feel incredibly empty, but I think that's mostly because I'm still tired and ill.

Long Week's Journey Into the Fall Semester

Ai, ai, ai.

I've been back for two real days and already I'm sick. Just a cold, and controllable with handfuls of pseudephedrine, but still, you'd think my immune system would be up to the task by now. On the gripping hand, it might well have been if I hadn't managed to go a whole week without getting more than 5.5 hours of sleep on any night. But I think it was probably worth it.

Okay, when was the last time I updated this thing? Sunday? Geez, what all has happened since then? Between the cold and the meds and my finally having slept, it's all sort of running together . . .

Okay, nothing earth-shattering happened on Monday except that we all went to six staff development sessions that repeated the same information over and over. (The one exception was the AP's session, which was the same as it is every year, but did tell up things we needed to know, like where everyone's office is this year and what the alpha split is). I am now convinced that the new CP (a) shares a lot of my core values, but (b) is an ESFJ. As we all know, I'm really an I***, but I act like an INT* because that's what dear Daddy taught me to behave like - and N-think is somewhat more natural to me under stress than S-think. Thus, ESF* behavior tends to irritate me, especially when they're being very E. I'm going to have to limit and schedule my interactions with Mrs. G, or I'm going to come across as cold and aloof to her. Maybe I can hide behind RR most of the time. We went out for ice cream with DG later that evening, where he discussed how awful looking for card with his dad is.

Tuesday was a workday. I got my room mostly in order. My desk is a mess again, already. I discovered I really like the new guy who beat me out for Calc BC (who will henceforth be known as DD). He and The Other PB and I are going to make a Hel of an AP math team if we can get our crap together. The poor, overworked tech specialist finally got my passwords reset, and I got to see my class rosters. Both my Stats classes were way too small - only 6 kids each. I took a closer look, and discovered that none of them were H kids. Well, duh - this is our school's gradebook; of course none of their kids will be in it. I sent an e-mail to the harried tech specialist to see if he can get me set up on their gradebook.

Tuesday evening we went to the Weird Al concert. We ran into JT and MW, briefly; they seemed to be willing to speak to us, which is a positive development. I thought I might see one of my kids as well, and I saw someone way up front who might have been him, but I never got a good look. Our seats were way over on the left, but the view of the stage was pretty good. The opening act was a stand-up comic who the Spouse says is also a voice actor for ADV; he pulled out the geek jokes for this crowd, including a Star Wars routine, a philosophy joke, and an engineering joke. He hit more than he missed, and a good time was had. Weird Al's set was short, he only did one encore, and he blew the second verse of "Melanie" completely, but what else there was was very good indeed. I do wish there had been floor space to dance, though.

Wednesday was a work day except for the opening-day procedures faculty meeting. I didn't get much lesson planning done, but Coach D was remarkably pleasant during the team meeting; either he realizes he's in over his head, or he's trying to turn around. Either way, I'm hopeful. There's a new person in the bookroom, and she's been very slow getting stuff out - I didn't get my calculator set until very late in the day, after 3:00. On the bright side, ADHD and his grandmother stopped by to visit; I ran down to his counselor afterwards and made her put him in my advisory period. Hey, if I'm going to be his mom, I might as well do it in an official capacity, ne?

I bussed straight to the Black Swan and had dinner there. A group of yuppies had taken our table in the back, so I went looking for any of our usual crowd, and found K&MG and little S in the dart room. It took forever to get a waiter; while we were waiting for him to come back, DM called me on the cell and asked if I were coming to the Swan tonight. Recognizing the crowd noise in the background, I just said "I'm here." Sure enough, a moment later he came around the corner. A little later, he called AH (or perhaps AH called him; I'm not sure) and he told him he was at the House of Guys; we both laughed at him. A&AH showed up separately. missing each other several times; several friends of theirs I don't know came with them. AH got there rather late, as did PB and a friend of DM's whose name I still haven't caught but who is not a ditz. AH and I talked about the con and his going back to school. I talked him into giving me a ride home; he tried to steal DM's fiddle on the way out, and almost made it.

Thursday the kids came back. Oh, boy. Mrs. G talked over the intercom the whole freaking day. None of my H kids showed up, nor did any of DD's. He Who Ain't Got No Feet complained that his desk hadn't made the move to my new room, and said he'd talk to the correct people to get that done. However, I did get to see the lion's share of my kids again. It's good to have them back. It'll be nice to actually get started again.

Movie Night was chaotic. DG called to let us know he either would be late or wouldn't be there at all; he and his dad had to go look at a car. EW & the Annoying M called to tell us they were sick and wouldn't make it. PB didn't make it and didn't call us to warn us at all. AH was the first one there, and he brought con photos (cosplay! yay!) and a weird parody fandub. DG did finally make it, as did DM with the friend from the Swan in tow (whom he proceeded to give a serious backrub to all through the movie - snark, snark), in time for the movie itself - October Sky. I think everyone liked it, although it was more about the Rocket Boys and less about the teacher for them. (I recited her entire speech under my breath.)

Friday was a replay of Thursday, except I had a severely sore throat. We discovered that H failed to list my class - or me! - at all, and while they'd listed DD's section of Cal BC under WH's name (!!), they hadn't listed and Stats under him (!!!). Their counselors are going to try and filter six to eight students who asked for it into one of my Stats classes, ours will collapse the two into one section with eighteen to twenty students, and then they'll spread out my Precals into the empty section. I'm hoping we actually have enough H students to keep two sections, but it's not that big a deal as long as they don't end up handing me a completely extra class. I bussed to the store, and fell asleep several times on the way there. By the time I got there, I was completely wrecked; we went home and I crashed utterly. I slept for about fifteen hours.

Today I've been running on acetaminophen and pseudephedrine. I'm going to the first half of the Beans show tonight (which DM and/or the Raven may or may not make an appearance at), and then the MIL is going to give me a lift home. Hopefully, I'll be feeling more human tomorrow. The Spouse is going to a Blue Man Group show at the Woodlands, and I'm going to try and get AH or DM or both to come over and watch something with me while he's out.

I feel incredibly empty, but I think that's mostly because I'm still tired and ill.